Why is it wrong to take advantage of others? - Using Others/Feeling Used - TouchPoints

Leviticus 19:14“Do not insult the deaf or cause the blind to stumble. You must fear your God; I am the Lord.”

Leviticus 25:17“Show your fear of God by not taking advantage of each other. I am the Lord your God.”

Matthew 21:12Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.

John 2:13-17It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.”

Taking advantage of people is disrespectful to God, for all are deeply loved by him.

Exodus 22:22“You must not exploit a widow or an orphan.”

Leviticus 19:14“Do not insult the deaf or cause the blind to stumble. You must fear your God; I am the Lord.”

Leviticus 25:14“When you make an agreement with your neighbor to buy or sell property, you must not take advantage of each other.”

Deuteronomy 24:12-14“If your neighbor is poor and gives you his cloak as security for a loan, do not keep the cloak overnight. Return the cloak to its owner by sunset so he can stay warm through the night and bless you, and the Lord your God will count you as righteous. Never take advantage of poor and destitute laborers, whether they are fellow Israelites or foreigners living in your towns.”

Deuteronomy 25:16“All who cheat with dishonest weights and measures are detestable to the Lord your God.”

Proverbs 22:22-23Don’t rob the poor just because you can, or exploit the needy in court. For the Lord is their defender. He will ruin anyone who ruins them.

Isaiah 3:14The Lord comes forward to pronounce judgment on the elders and rulers of his people: “You have ruined Israel, my vineyard. Your houses are filled with things stolen from the poor.”

Isaiah 11:4He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.

Mark 12:40“Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished.”

James 5:4For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Taking advantage of others is a sin and rouses the anger of God.

1 Samuel 2:17So the sin of these young men was very serious in the Lord’s sight, for they treated the Lord’s offerings with contempt.

Taking advantage of someone can have far reaching negative consequences for many others. Eli’s sons took advantage of their position to satisfy their lust for power and possessions and endangered the integrity of the whole priesthood.

Exodus 22:22“You must not exploit a widow or an orphan.”

Taking advantage of others, especially the needy, is cruel and heartless. It shows a soul devoid of compassion and love.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

2 Samuel 13:14-17Amnon wouldn’t listen to her, and since he was stronger than she was, he raped her. Then suddenly Amnon’s love turned to hate, and he hated her even more than he had loved her. “Get out of here!” he snarled at her. “No, no!” Tamar cried. “Sending me away now is worse than what you’ve already done to me.” But Amnon wouldn’t listen to her. He shouted for his servant and demanded, “Throw this woman out, and lock the door behind her!”

Taking advantage of someone’s body for the purpose of self-gratification is defiling the temple of God because God lives in each person who believes in him. This is a serious offense to the One who created our bodies.